Stacks: SCAR, OU, TENN
Optimal Plays:
QBs: Morris, Drones, Rattler
RBs: Hammond Jr., Bailey, Anderson
WRs: Legette, Anthony, Noel, White
Alright we’ve got another fun night slate of CFB here, so let’s dive in on the action!
The first QB we’re considering for optimal is Chandler Morris. Morris is projected to be the second highest scoring QB on the slate by three points, despite being $1,100 cheaper. Morris has mobility, rushing for 203-2 this year. He’s thrown 30+ passes in every game this season, even blowouts. He’s on our shortlist of optimal QB options on this slate.
The second QB we’re considering for optimal lineups is Kyron Drones. Drones has been excellent with his legs, rushing for 191-2 on the season. 16 of his runs have been designed, showing Virginia Tech’s willingness to get him involved on the ground. He is projected for 19 DK points, and is among the top PTS/$ play on the slate. Drones is one of our favorite QB options on this night slate.
Next we have Spencer Rattler. Rattler is an enigmatic player, but he’s been excellent this fall. Rattler has tossed for 1,242-7 on the season, while also chipping in some with his legs as well. He has an excellent script with his Gamecocks being underdogs, and should have ample opportunity to produce on this slate. He’s projected to score 23 fantasy points, despite being just 7.3k. Rattler is a fantastic play at the QB position this evening, and has an excellent stacking option in Legette, who we’ll dive into later.
As for GPP QBs, Joe Milton is one of our favorites. He is projected the most points at the position, and has very clear stacking options. With Milton being projected only three points above guys like Morris and Rattler, he might not be all that popular. He still has excellent upside though, and getting that leverage could be great in GPPs.
Another solid option for GPPs is Dillon Gabriel. He also has stacks that are very cut and dry, making it easy to maximize upside. Gabriel is projected 24 DK points, and is the highest priced QB on the slate. Having a high price on a slate with great value could knock his ownership down, similar to Milton. We like Gabriel’s upside in tournament play.
At the RB position, Rodney Hammond Jr. is among our top RB options this evening. He is projected the third most points at the RB position, but is priced at only 5.1k! He has 14 carries in each of the past two games, and saw 5 targets last week as well. He gets a matchup with Virginia Tech’s porous run defense, making him our favorite option for RB in optimal lineups this weekend.
Emani Bailey is back on our radar. As we stated in the main slate writeup, his usage is just so extreme. He has 48 carries across the past two weeks, rushing for 126 in each contest with a score in each as well. He gets a bit of a boost on DK as well with his handful of targets each week. Bailey is the top projected RB points wise, and for good reason. We love starting out lineups with him at the RB position on this slate.
One more option to touch on for optimal is Mario Anderson. At 4.4k, he is just too cheap here. He got 26 carries last week. So at worst he will be in a timeshare. Let’s say it’s a worst case, it’s a 60-40 split, not in his favor. Season average for The Gamecocks is 33 carries, to account for blowouts let’s take it to 28. Anderson still sits in line to take between 8-11 carries, while likely adding in a couple targets. 10+ opportunity for a 4.4k RB on a team with a 25 point implied total? We’ll take it. Anderson makes for a fine value RB in your optimal lineups.
For GPP at RB, we like to look at Audric Estime. He didn’t have the best week against a stout OSU last week, but gets a much better matchup here. Estime is facing off with a Duke team that allowed 213 rushing yards to Clemson in week 1. The Blue Devils haven’t faced a tough schedule otherwise, so their defensive stats are a bit skewed. We love Estime as an option in optimal lineups here, as he is projected to be among the top RB scorers at the position.
We also like RB on both sides of Michigan State and Iowa for GPPs. Nathan Carter for the Spartans has had 17+ carries in every game, and tacked on 9(!) targets last weekend as well. It doesn’t matter the injury situation behind him now, as he’s locked up a large piece of the backfield pie to himself. He’s projected the fourth most points at the RB position on the slate, and with his usage he’ll have the opportunity to surpass that.
On the other side of the ball, Leshon Williams is sitting with another week in the lead back role as Kaleb Johnson is still not on the Hawkeye depth chart. Williams exploded for 145 against WMU, but got bottled up (expected) against PSU last weekend. Williams is only 5.2k, and is among the top pt/$ play at his position. The upside and opportunity are there, it’s just an issue of how bad Iowa can be offensively. Williams is firmly on our GPP radar here. We would not prefer fading Hammond to get him, as we prefer Hammond straight-up and they are priced similarly. We instead would prefer putting him in the flex or moving off of Bailey since the reason to use Leshon would be to gain salary.
At WR, Xavier Legette is one of our top WR plays for optimal builds tonight. He is priced reasonably here, and is the top pt/$ play at the WR position. He is projected to score 20 fantasy points, which is also tops for the WR position. Legette has a secure role in the offense, albeit one that sometimes requires efficiency. We didn’t like Legette on Fanduel, due in large part to the importance of TDs and his proximity to Xavier Weaver in price —who we liked more than Leggete straight-up. On DK, Leggete is priced more reasonably and his yards/catches matter more with full point PPR and the bonus. For this reason, we believe that he is an excellent start to lineups this night slate, and he stacks well with Spencer Rattler.
Andrel Anthony is second on our optimal list here. As mentioned in the main writeup, he is due for positive TD regression soon as the top target on Oklahoma. The Sooners are implied to score 35 points, and Anthony is averaging 6.25 targets per game with a 14 aDoT. He’s crossed the 100 yard threshold in each of the last two games, showcasing his upside if he can find paydirt. He is projected to score the second most points at the WR position on the slate. He stacks well with Dillon Gabriel.
We get some value here with Jaylin Noel. He has 11-12 targets his past two games, good for 30%+ target share. He is projected to score 13 DK points despite being priced at just 4.8k. Noel is one of the top PT/$ play at the WR position, and it’s for good reason. He has an excellent role, in a rock solid game script for ISU to air it out. Consider Noel when crafting your optimal lineup this weekend.
Squirrel White has 6+ targets in every game this season and is projected to score the third most points among WR. He makes for an excellent stack with Milton in GPPs, but White can be used alone in optimal due to his role in the offense. He’s another positive TD regression candidate, as he has seen the most targets on Tennessee, yet hasn’t been on the receiving end of one of their passing TDs yet. White makes for an excellent play in optimal lineups.
For GPP at WR, we have some intriguing options. Let’s start with Ramel Keyton. Keyton is priced a bit high given his role, but he’s got an explosive route tree. Keyton’s 22.4 aDoT allows him to bust any play wide open, which puts him on our GPP watch list. He can be stacked with Milton.
Notre Dame’s WR corps are nursing some injuries, so we may see more of Mitchell Evans than usual. He’s their TE, but he plays a vital role in this offense. Last week he saw 7 targets as a bit of a safety valve, and much of the same is expected this week. We like Evans upside in GPPs. There is also a chance another ND pass-catcher steps up this week. Our bet would be Tobias Merriweather as he played the most snaps of any ND WR last weekend. Merriweather is a bit riskier, but can be used in GPPs this weekend.
Dae’Quan Wright is one of our favorite GPP value plays here. He has 5+ targets in each of his past three games, and runs 30%+ of his routes from the slot. He’s got potential as a useful value piece, as just a TD could make him close to optimal here.
Conclusion: This night slate is very cut and dry at the QB positon, and we believe starting off optimal lineups with some combo of Chandler Morris, Kyron Drones, or Spencer Rattler is the way to go. With Drones’ massive PT/$ projection, he’s our favorite QB play on the slate. At RB, deploying some combination of Rodney Hammond, Emani Bailey, or Mario Anderson sets your lineup up nicely. Using Drones and Hammond — who are the top plays at their positions in PT/$ — sets you up to do whatever you want at WR. In optimal lineups, we recommend grabbing three of Xavier Legette, Andrel Anthony, Jaylin Noel, or Squirrel White. Don’t be afraid to use some stacks, as we have plenty!